5.1 EMRUSR 07-09-2024HANDOUT AT MEETING - 2024-7 - 5.1
Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:
FROM:
ERMU Commission
Mark Hanson — General Manager
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
July 9, 2024
5.1
SUBJECT:
2024 Compensation Study Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
Approve a Revised Pay Plan, Implementation Method, and Implementation Date
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At the June 2024 commission meeting, the Commission received Baker Tilly's 2024
Compensation Study, including a proposed pay plan. Sarah Towne, Baker Tilly's consulting
manager, reviewed the process used to identify the market pay averages and develop a
proposed pay plan. She stated on average, ERMU is 4.4% below market at the minimum, 9.5%
below market at the midpoint, and 12.8% below market at the maximum. This under -market
positioning likely impacts ERMU's ability to attract and retain talent.
Ms. Towne then reviewed the differences between ERMU's existing pay plans and Baker Tilly's
proposed plan. Most notably, the proposed plan is a single plan across all the pay categories.
ERMU currently maintains four separate pay plans: managers, office, field, and lineworkers. By
consolidating all positions into a single plan, job evaluation driven grade assignments are more
consistent and equitable. The second significant difference is the proposed plan is a 9-step plan
instead of the existing five -step plans. Lastly, Ms. Towne presented four possible
implementation scenarios for how to transition staff from ERMU's existing pay plans to the
proposed plan.
After discussing the proposed pay plan and implementation scenarios, the Commission
generally agreed a 9-step plan was too long. Additionally, commission members generally
agreed it was in ERMU's best interest to strive for slightly market leading maximums.
In closing, the Commission directed staff to work with Baker Tilly to develop a revised 7-step
plan with the same maximums as the 9-step plan. Commission members also asked staff to
provide examples of how staff would transition from ERMU's current plan to the proposed plan,
and to determine whether the surveyed comparable peers offered incentive pay programs.
DISCUSSION:
Baker Tilly's Sarah Towne will present two options for a 7-step pay plan. A 7-step plan offers a
balanced approach by providing more frequent salary adjustments than the existing 5-step
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HANDOUT AT MEETING - 2024-7 - 5.1
plan, but not as many as the proposed 9-step plan. This ensures that employees receive regular
pay increases while maintaining the perception of meaningful progression.
• Pay Plan "A"
o Maxes out at the former Step 9 amounts presented in June
o Represents a slightly market leading plan (14.9% average increase)
o Positions ERMU's pay at approximately 2% above market average at Step 7
• Pay Plan "B"
o Maxes out at the former Step 8 amounts presented in June
o Represents a slightly market lagging plan (10.9% average increase)
o Positions ERMU's pay at approximately 2% below market average at Step 7
Associated implementation scenarios for each plan will also be provided. Three revised
implementation scenarios are described below. Regardless of which scenario is selected, no
employee would transition into a step that results in a pay decrease. The first attachment
provides comparative examples for each scenario.
1) Scenario 1: Closest Step without a Decrease. This scenario places employees at the
closest higher step from their current salary, ensuring no reduction in pay while aligning
with the new pay plan.
2) Scenario 2: Stay on Current Step. This scenario keeps all employees at their current step
level. Since Step 5 employees would increase to the new max over three years (Steps 5-
7), this option most closely resembles the transition process presented to the
commission in November 2023.
3) Scenario 3: Steps based on years in position. This scenario only looks at the number of
years spent in their current position, regardless of current step or prior experience. Due
to their similarity to Scenario 2, costs for this option are not included in this report.
Commission members asked staff to research which of the comparable peers surveyed in the
study also had a performance -based incentive (PBI) program. Of the ten peer utilities surveyed,
six have existing PBI programs. Of the four utilities that did not currently have a PBI program,
two stated they were interested in creating one.
As a follow-up question, staff was asked to estimate the implementation costs over the next
three years, assuming a 4% cost of living adjustment (COLA) and a 2080-hour work year. The
average monthly impact to ERMU's roughly 19,000 metered accounts is also provided. Scenario
1 assumes backpay to early January 2024 since the $135K budgeted for comp study transition
costs exceeds the 2024 implementation cost. Scenario 2 assumes a delayed effective date to
prevent the 2024 implementation costs from exceeding the budgeted transition amount.
Pay Plan A: Step 7 = Former Column 9 (Slightly Market Leading)
1) Closest Step
2024
2025
2026
2027
Total
Transition
$135,000*
$217,659
$162,843
$121,045
$641,015
4% COLA
$0
$8,706
$6,514
$4,842
$20,062
Total:
$135,000
$226,365
$169,356
$125,887
$661,077
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HANDOUT AT MEETING - 2024-7 - 5.1
Cost per Account: 1 $0.61 1 $0.99 $0.74 $0.55
*Scenario 1 assumes backpay to early January.
2) Current Step
2024
2025
2026
2027
Total
Transition
$135,000*
$225,530
$171,055
$34,466
$566,051
4% COLA
$0
$9,021
$6,842
$1,379
$17,242
Total:
$135,000
$234,551
$177,897
$35,845
$583,293
Cost per Account:
$0.59
$1.03
$0.78
$0.16
*Scenario 2 assumes a delayed effective date due to transition budget.
Pay Plan B: Step 7 = Former Column 8 (Slightly Market Lagging)
1) Closest Step
2024
2025
2026
2027
Total
Transition
$110,576*
$173,130
$105,568
$99,726
$489,000
4% COLA
0
$6,925
$4,223
$3,989
$15,137
Total:
$110,576
$180,055
$109,791
$103,715
$504,137
Cost per Account:
$0.48
$0.79
$0.48
$0.45
*Scenario 1 assumes backpay to January 1.
2) Current Step
2024
2025
2026
2027
Total
Transition
$135,000*
$168,260
$108,521
$28,662
$440,442
4% COLA
0
$6,730
$4,341
$1,146
$12,218
Total:
$135,000
$174,990
$112,862
$29,808
$452,660
Cost per Account:
$0.59
$0.50
$0.76
$0.13
*Scenario 2 assumes a delayed effective date due to transition budget.
As shown in the above tables, if implemented in 2024, costs would be limited to the.$135K
budgeted for implementation costs. Although past performance does not guarantee future
results, ERMU's past margins would indicate our rates would not need to be adjusted solely due
to the implementation of the proposed pay plan. We could absorb the anticipated annual costs
shown above and still meet our commission -approved margins.
NEXT STEPS:
In addition to approving a pay plan, the Commission will need to select an implementation
scenario and an effective date. Once a pay plan is approved, Baker Tilly will provide a final
report documenting the process, the results, and the approved pay plan. Staff will update our
payroll system in accordance with the approved plan, implementation scenario, and effective
date. If the effective date is in the past, backpay will be calculated and paid out as required.
ATTACHMENT:
• Proposed Pay Plan Options
• Example Implementation Scenarios
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